Meaning of Love
by Misaki-Kurenai
Summary: [Rin Matsuoka x reader] What does love mean? Do you show your affection towards that special person or thing? Then how do we show our love? What is love exactly?


The word_ "love" _contains multiple definitions in the human language. There are different interpretations of _"love" _as well as levels.

You know, as a kid, you don't really understand the meaning of _"love"_. Our parents may have said that they love us millions of times, but that's different from the_ "love" _they show in romance novels and movies. Since our parents always tell us how much they love us, we sometimes casually blurt out _"I love you"_ to people around us. Looking back to it now, I'd say it was pretty cute.

* * *

><p>I remember the time when my childhood best friend, Rin Matsuoka would constantly challenge me into competitions of any kind. Whether if it was a swimming race, running race, or the chugging on chocolate milk competition. We were major competitors wo <em><span>hated<span> _losing. It was pretty cute the way he jumped in glee whenever he won, or the way he'd pout when I tease him on my win.

One day during art class, our teacher gave us supplies to make a drawing of our school's mascot. Of course, Rin challenged me to see who could make a better drawing and I accepted. When we finished, we presented our works of art to the class and received recognition for our amazing creations... until Haru's name was called upon the art teacher to show his drawing. To this day, I still hold a grudge against Haru, because the whole class loved his more than mine.

After our presentations, I complimented Rin on his work and in response, he gave me a warm smile.

"Thank you (Name)-chan! Yours isn't too shabby either. I love it and I love you too!"

* * *

><p>"Eh?" My face flushed red when he told me that. Before I could react, the teacher told us to go to the cafeteria for lunch.<p>

"Sweet!" Showing his baby shark teeth through his smile, Rin turns to me once more, "Come on (Name)-chan! Race you to the lunch line!"

"Ah! Wait! Rin-chan!"

"Winners don't wait (Name)-chan!"

Shouting from over his shoulder, Rin continued making his way to the hall and cafeteria while leaving me behind.

From that day onwards, I've contemplated by the meaning of his words. Could he had meant that he _"loves"_ me like a brother would? What if he meant it as _"love"_ for a puppy? I never understood the OTHER definition of_ "love"_ between the two people since I was a little girl at the time. Now I know what THAT one means and boy... let's just say that it'll be years until I think of it.

My childish ways of thinking remains in the past. My overall knowledge expanded and I now know materials I didn't know in the past... but one question will always stump me even to this day after countless years of learning.

_What is love?_

* * *

><p>"<em>Love?<em> Why're you asking me that (Name)?" Rin lowers his shoujo manga to gaze at me from his bottom bunk bed in his dorm room. Near his desk, I stop spinning in his swirly chair to face Rin.

Rubbing my arm nervously, my eyes wander through his room in thought, "Well... Remember that time in grade school in art class when we presented our drawings of our mascot? We competed over which drawing is better and lost against Haru's work."

"... Yeah... What about it?"

"After we finished, I complimented your drawing and you told me that you loved me."

I swear I could've saw Rin jolt back for a split second even just a little when I finished. Blinking a few times to fully grasp what he's heard. He shuts his manga close and threw it onto his bed.

Scratching his head while staring at the ground, Rin nervously speaks, "When did I... uh... say that exactly?"

"After I complimented your drawing, you complimented mine and said it."

"Oh... Uh..."

Pouting at Rin's reaction, I crossed my arms while waiting for him to reply a better response. I can't believe he actually forgot about that part. His (sort of) confession stuck with me to this day because I've wondered countless times of the meaning behind _"love"_. Then I guess he doesn't think too much about this sort of stuff compared to his passion for swimming.

Rin remained silent until he raised his eyes to meet mine.

"You know we were kids, right? I think I meant that kind of love as a brother would love his sister."

"So you only think of me as a sister then..." My eyes fell upon the fluffy carpeted ground in disappointment.

Realizing his mistake, Rin rose to his feet and captured my hands in his. Astonished, I lifted my face to view Rin's. His face reddens as he frantically diverts his eyes from meeting mine.

"Th-that's not what I meant! I... I probably shouldn't have told you that when we were kids b-but now, it's not what... I... I uh... What I mean... i-it's different from... You see..."

Word after word, phrase by phrase, Rin's face reddens by the second. He tries to retain his coolness but fails to hide his beet red cheeks. Even the tips of his ears are turning to a scarlet shade.

"I... Oh whatever." Without a warning, Rin lifts my chin upwards and crashes his lips onto mine. His sudden actions caught me by surprise but I soon closed my eyes to indulge in the sweet warmth of his lips. He wrapped his arms around my back and I enlaced my fingers in his silky maroon hair.

Before we could go deeper, Rin pulled back reluctantly.

"That's the kind of 'love' that I mean. Maybe it wasn't that kind when we were kids, but hey. We grow up, don't we?"

"Then... you're telling me... that you want us to be together?"

"Of course, (Name). I love you. I love you like how the knight in shining armor who saves the princess, loves the princess. I love you like how a man loves their wife. I love you like how the main character in the romance novels and movies love their love interest. I love you so much (Name)."

Hearing his words made my heart feel as if it could burst at any given moment. I threw my arms around Rin's neck and embraced his warm body.

"I love you Rin. I think I know the answer to my question now. It was right beside me all along."

"Heh." Smirking with his shark teeth, Rin adds, "You know it... How about one little bet?"

"... Go on."

"Winner who has the most surprise kisses by the end of today, gets to have the loser wear a maid's outfit and slave away."

Once Rin completed his sentence, I stole a kiss from him and his eyes widens in utter shock. With a smug look on my face, I stepped back.

"That's one point for me!"

"Oh no you don't!" Rin lunges at me with his devilish smile and before I could turn to run, he captured my lips with his.

The chasing game continued until Momo stepped inside the room to complain, only stopping midway into his sentence. His face flushed red as he excused himself out upon seeing us in the moment. At the moment, we stopped messing around and began reminiscing about the past.

This is what love means to me. To be with the one you cherish.

**A/N: So sorry I haven't been posting anything! I'm more active on my deviantart account so please feel free to check that out. Also, this is my official account so notify me if there's a faker posting my stuff (especially those in Quotev). I hope you enjoyed the definition of "love"!**


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